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Charlie Rangel's near certain victory was derailed by an ethics trial.
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His likely success comes despite being slapped with 13 House ethics charges related to a range of issues that began emerging over two years ago, including his four rent-stabilized apartments (and the use of one of them as a campaign office), a lack of reported income on a rental property he owns in the Dominican Republic, and his use of official letterhead to solicit funds for a City College center in his name. Rangel has maintained while he made errors, they were unintended.

“If it was a first-termer, it’d be over,” he told reporters at a subway stop Monday morning, referring to how he would fared if not for his seniority.

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Rangel’s final day was studded with strange messaging as he pressed the flesh in the hours before polls open at 6 a.m. Tuesday. His gray suit with thin pinstripes hung off his thinned-down frame, the pants hitting him just above the ankles, his silver cufflinks in the shape of a fan of playing cards winking when the sun came out from the clouds.

His first event was outside the last stop terminus of the Number 3 train—probably not the image he wanted to leave reporters with—and right next to his alma mater, Frederick Douglass high school.

“All fired up!” he called out as he got out of his car.

He shook hands eagerly, wished people a good day, and sang his old high school song for a teenager. Aides chuckled over a report that Rep. Michael McCaul, a Republican on the House ethics committee probing Rangel, had some of his own reporting errors about stock transactions. Rangel made clear he wanted to comment on it, but stopped himself.

“I’m with you!” a woman told him.

“Thank you!” he called back, sticking around for almost an hour longer than planned.

At the Corsi House, a Rangel campaign worker shouted into a bullhorn, “There will be no change tomorrow!”

Inside, a translator converted his words into Spanish for the seniors. Most said, with the few English words available to them, they planned to vote for Rangel.

Sad state of affairs when someones career is staying in Congress, Serving in Congress should be only one or two terms. It would stop corruption and keep fresh blood and ideas alive. Remove retirement and any and all benefits for serving in congress.

At 80, Charlie Rangel should have retired, with his dignity in tact, long before he faced a trial. His career is forever tarnished by the ethics violations and abuse of power. He is a daily reminder to disenfranchised voters: power corrupts absolutely

Pelosi did not drain the swamp , she had it desiginated a federaly protected wetland inhabitated by a speices designated in danger of becoming endangered. Fear not as I expect they will be well cared for. Charlie will have friends there and should the country be so lucky, more will join him.

Running this puff of smoke up the flagpole, humming the "resign with dignity" tune so the press will sing it. Nobody's saluting beyond your vain, grasping, jealous ranks.

Sadly for you, Rangel's done too much for his constituents for too long for them to believe your spin. And I'm not even his fan -- just curious about the whole attempt at political takedown.

Tomorrow night when your gambit crumbles into dust and you face the sad reality of your own middling careers and lack of vision, Rangel's camp will breathe easy and dig in to defend his dignity & decades of successful public service. Decades. 40 years.

What have you personally ever done that wasn't self-serving and at the expense of the poor, urban and powerless? And that goes for many of his pitiful opponents in the primary.

And I do hope Rangel knows what we Harlemites believe: "You can listen to what they say about you but you've got to believe what He said about you."

Now why don't y'all make yourselves useful and help augment America's GNP and foreign trade? Or is that too un-sensational for y'all?

Running this puff of smoke up the flagpole, humming the "resign with dignity" tune so the press will sing it. Nobody's saluting beyond your vain, grasping, jealous ranks.

Sadly for you, Rangel's done too much for his constituents for too long for them to believe your spin. And I'm not even his fan -- just curious about the whole attempt at political takedown.

Tomorrow night when your gambit crumbles into dust and you face the sad reality of your own middling careers and lack of vision, Rangel's camp will breathe easy and dig in to defend his dignity & decades of successful public service. Decades. 40 years.

What have you personally ever done that wasn't self-serving and at the expense of the poor, urban and powerless? And that goes for many of his pitiful opponents in the primary.

And I do hope Rangel knows what we Harlemites believe: "You can listen to what they say about you but you've got to believe what He said about you."

Now why don't y'all make yourselves useful and help augment America's GNP and foreign trade? Or is that too un-sensational for y'all?

... his bid for a 21st term representing the Harlem-based 15th District where he grew up and emerged as a major figure in state and national politics.

Hope these folks in Harlem ask themselves how a piece of reprobate like Mr. Rangel went from Harlem to government and became a millionaire before they vote. http://online.wsj.com/article/...

If insanity is repeating the same thing and expecting a different result, what do WE call re-electing the politicians that caused all the problems in the first place with an expectation that they will fix them?

Don't Re-Elect ANY Incumbent Politician

"The care of human life and happiness and not their destruction is the first and only legitimate object of good government." --Thomas Jefferson

This tax cheating piece of trash should already be in prison. Ethics Committee my butt! Those Dem's have absolutely no ethics at all. Rangel should be kicked out of Congress and put immediately into jail for all of the "forgetful moments" he has suffered around April 15 for the last 20 or so years. It is no wonder why we have no confidence whatsoever in Congress.